Jamaica's Uta was one of 250 namesakes in attendance at the Uta Festival in Germany earlier this year. - Contributed

WESTERN BUREAU:

"It took a while until I found out that all these journalists, photographers and TV people had come just for me."

As if announcing the arrival of the 'Princess of Peace,' headlines across Germany blared the name Uta Smith, proclaiming the first and only black woman in search of the historical significance of a medieval countess bearing her name.

Officially invited by the Lord Mayor of Naumburg, Germany, the Montego Bay businesswoman had an amazing all-expense-paid trip in March to the Eastern European country as a result of her unusual first name, Uta.

Uta means 'I will praise God'. For Germans, the name is revered, having earned its reputation from one of the 12th-century founders of the Naumburg Cathedral, Uta von Naumburg. Today, her 1.80 metre-high limestone, sculptured figure can be seen in the cathedral.

A visit to many German homes will see her picture hanging in living rooms. Amazingly, the image of Uta von Naumburg still attracts elderly men, who lay roses at her feet to express their admiration.

Annually, European women bearing the name converge on Naumburg for the Uta festival. After hundreds of years of paying tribute to this icon, it took a Jamaican woman to add a different spin to the festivities, creating waves of lights, camera and action throughout Germany, as the media captured the ocassion.

Despite the wintry conditions when she exited the first compartment of an inter-city train on arrival in Naumburg, Smith radiated the warmth she received. "Suddenly, a crowd of people appeared, somebody wished me well and all of a sudden, I had a bunch of flowers in my arms. Flash lights of cameras blinded my eyes," she reminisced.

"I had nearly no chance to get an impression of the medieval town of Naumburg during the short drive to the picturesque marketplace where a press conference was held after my arrival. It took a while until I found out that all these journalists, photographers and TV people had come just for me."

Smith's trip was covered by all the major newspapers in Germany. She was suddenly a star.

"The sensation for the German media was that I was the first and only black Uta attending this meeting, and I myself was proud to represent Jamaica during this occasion," she told The Sunday Gleaner, while bubbling with pride.

Smith's journey to Germany

"It was a Christian man of the Anglican Church in Germany who remembered me and my uncommon name from his stay in Jamaica in 2006," recalled the Jamaican woman, who was named by her father.

She said that during spring 2008, the man read an article about the Uta meeting in the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. "As most of the women named Uta came from German-speaking countries, he asked the organisers of the festival in the City of Naumburg if they would be interested in having a Uta from overseas in 2009. And they were delighted and invited me officially."

The rest is history, she said.

Jamaica's Uta was one of 250 namesakes in attendance at the Uta Festival.

Having dedicated most of her time to serving her Lord and His Church, the 38-year old businesswoman said the name Uta, even to her, was mysteriously unknown. "And I had to wait so long and to do this journey to Germany to find out why I should be so proud to bear the name of that medieval noble lady 8,000 miles away from me," she remarked.

"This is what I knew before I went to Germany: my parents were familiar with the name Uta; they had met someone with that name before. Also, my grandfather had a similar name, 'Eustac'.

"As I grew into adulthood, I started loving this name more and more, as it was very unusual and unique. When people would ask me my name and I replied 'Uta', they would say, 'What?' or make varying comments, such as, 'Like the state Utah in the USA?', or, 'How do you spell your name?', 'What is the origin?' and the list goes on and on."

janet.silvera@gleanerjm.com